Business VS Art
July 11th 2008 02:32
At one point in my life I was planning on being an "artist". I was technically quite good, and at a young age, possible the word prodigy would have come to your mind if you would have met me then. I do not quite like the word prodigy, I like the idea that I worked hard at being good at it.
I had a plan after high school, go to a local community college, then a university 1.5 hours away and then go to Claremont Graduate School of Fine Art.
So at the community college I got my AA in Art and my AA in General Ed Transfer. I transfered to the university, and that was the end of my art schooling. At the university I found that I had much better technical ability than my teachers, and in my mind I was wondering why I was drive three hours a day and spending soooo much money on this. I did not qualify for any financial aid, so I was paying for everything out of pocket.
Then there was the final blow. I had a conversation with one of my teachers about making money with art. Her idea was that it was about the art and not the money, you should do art for art's sake and not worry about the money side. In fact, she usually lost money every year and used it all as a tax deduction against her salary for the university. She was so proud to say that you could claim a loss for up to 5 years on your taxes.
My "cost benefit analysis" was in high gear on this one. What business or carrier has a plan of losing money for five years at a time? Maybe if you are really making a profit and are being
"creative" with your accounting.
Don't get me wrong on this though! I love to do art for art's sake, but I do not kid myself about the economics of it!
So let me ask you this: In the Art vs Business showdown, we will have two characters fighting for market share (a true"artist" and an artist that is business centric) who will win?
Obviously the business centric one will win. The truth is that there are a lot of people who are really good out there and they know people who help them get a lot of shows, and a lot of art sold. That is how they keep going, by selling!
Art is like any other product! The Four P's of marketing apply, you would be foolish to think otherwise.
I am not sure why so many artist, and musicians, get all artsy-fartsy and leave reality. Art is subject to the laws of supply and demand, and even persuasion.
You know what they say, don't bring a knife to a gun fight. you had better bring some serious business chops to the table if you choose art" as a carrier, or you will get you butt handed to you.
Imagine this......
You are a great artist, or at least a good artist, or at least your think you could do some art. You find someone who will put you work in their gallery, and you think you are about to get gong on selling some art. After your first few days with your art work on display other artists have seen your work. Especially the competitive/business minded ones. They take your ideas, and improve on them, and start showing the next generation of your work, before you have come up with it. Then they lock down all the other galleries in town, except the one you are showing at, because your friend that owns the gallery is letting you show there.
How long will your friend hold out? When hotter selling artists come calling, and tempting your friend with increased sales from their art?
This idea is not just in art, it is in anything. Coffee making, landscaping, web design, you name it. Business chops will win in the end.
Remember, it is not about who is the best, it is about how will be the last one standing!
Well, anyway.... the art you have been viewing in this blog is some of my recent work. It is for guitar parts. It is referred to as inlay. Essentially it is shell, mother of pearl, abalone and others cut precisely with a jewelers saw and then placed into the wood, after the wood has been cut exactly to the size of the shell going into it.
I originally drew and painted, long ago. But those skills are still used, just in a different way.
I had a plan after high school, go to a local community college, then a university 1.5 hours away and then go to Claremont Graduate School of Fine Art.
So at the community college I got my AA in Art and my AA in General Ed Transfer. I transfered to the university, and that was the end of my art schooling. At the university I found that I had much better technical ability than my teachers, and in my mind I was wondering why I was drive three hours a day and spending soooo much money on this. I did not qualify for any financial aid, so I was paying for everything out of pocket.
Then there was the final blow. I had a conversation with one of my teachers about making money with art. Her idea was that it was about the art and not the money, you should do art for art's sake and not worry about the money side. In fact, she usually lost money every year and used it all as a tax deduction against her salary for the university. She was so proud to say that you could claim a loss for up to 5 years on your taxes.
My "cost benefit analysis" was in high gear on this one. What business or carrier has a plan of losing money for five years at a time? Maybe if you are really making a profit and are being
"creative" with your accounting.
Don't get me wrong on this though! I love to do art for art's sake, but I do not kid myself about the economics of it!
So let me ask you this: In the Art vs Business showdown, we will have two characters fighting for market share (a true"artist" and an artist that is business centric) who will win?
Obviously the business centric one will win. The truth is that there are a lot of people who are really good out there and they know people who help them get a lot of shows, and a lot of art sold. That is how they keep going, by selling!
Art is like any other product! The Four P's of marketing apply, you would be foolish to think otherwise.
I am not sure why so many artist, and musicians, get all artsy-fartsy and leave reality. Art is subject to the laws of supply and demand, and even persuasion.
You know what they say, don't bring a knife to a gun fight. you had better bring some serious business chops to the table if you choose art" as a carrier, or you will get you butt handed to you.
Imagine this......
You are a great artist, or at least a good artist, or at least your think you could do some art. You find someone who will put you work in their gallery, and you think you are about to get gong on selling some art. After your first few days with your art work on display other artists have seen your work. Especially the competitive/business minded ones. They take your ideas, and improve on them, and start showing the next generation of your work, before you have come up with it. Then they lock down all the other galleries in town, except the one you are showing at, because your friend that owns the gallery is letting you show there.
How long will your friend hold out? When hotter selling artists come calling, and tempting your friend with increased sales from their art?
This idea is not just in art, it is in anything. Coffee making, landscaping, web design, you name it. Business chops will win in the end.
Remember, it is not about who is the best, it is about how will be the last one standing!
Well, anyway.... the art you have been viewing in this blog is some of my recent work. It is for guitar parts. It is referred to as inlay. Essentially it is shell, mother of pearl, abalone and others cut precisely with a jewelers saw and then placed into the wood, after the wood has been cut exactly to the size of the shell going into it.
I originally drew and painted, long ago. But those skills are still used, just in a different way.
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Comment by katyzzz
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These things are a dilemma for so many people, you also need the temperament to handle the things you do, that can be quite a tall order.
Some nice work there.
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